Don\u27t Abandon the Water Cooler Yet: Flexible Work Arrangements and the Unique Effect of Face-to-Face Informal Communication on Idea Generation and Innovation

[Excerpt] Flexible work arrangements (FWAs), especially those offering employees a degree of control over when and where they work, have become increasingly prevalent in recent years.Research has shown that these arrangements generally lead to higher levels of job satisfaction as well as lower levels of stress, work-family conflict, absenteeism, and turnover among employees.At the same time, however, some suggest that FWAs may not be appropriate in all situations, particularly in the context of creative teamwork (i.e., in the prototypical 21st century organization). It is important, in this view, to have all team members face to face in the office to encourage informal interactions that spark insights and innovations. Surprisingly, this supposition has yet to be rigorously tested. Flexible work arrangements (FWAs), especially those offering employees a degree of control over when and where they work, have become increasingly prevalent in recent years.Research has shown that these arrangements generally lead to higher levels of job satisfaction as well as lower levels of stress, work-family conflict, absenteeism, and turnover among employees.At the same time, however, some suggest that FWAs may not be appropriate in all situations, particularly in the context of creative teamwork (i.e., in the prototypical 21st century organization). It is important, in this view, to have all team members face to face in the office to encourage informal interactions that spark insights and innovations. Surprisingly, this supposition has yet to be rigorously tested. The present study was designed to fill this void, first by examining the effects of remote work (i.e., percent of time team members work outside the office) on the frequency, spontaneity, content, and mode of their communication and, then, by assessing the extent to which variations in team communication patterns influence the level of team creativity (i.e., the degree to which teams generate novel ideas that lead to improvements in work processes and/or to new and innovative products and services). As Figure 1 on page 5 shows, the study primarily distinguished between two types of team communication: (1) formal face-to-face communication (e.g., planned meetings about work-related matters) and (2) informal face-to-face communication. Within informal face-to-face communication, two forms were examined: (2a) spontaneous communication about work-related matters and (2b) non-work-related communication. Further, in examining the efficacy of both forms of informal communication for team idea generation and innovation, the study compared electronic modes (e.g., email, instant message, audio/visual) to face-to-face interactions

Retention

Employee retention in the 21th century reflects how companies keep their employees motivated and well prepared for the challenges in the workplace. In this paper, I apply the concepts of motivation and how employers keep their employees. I also emphasize the costly effects of a employee leaving the organization, both as a dollar and emotional standpoint

When the Course Management System Isn\u27t Enough

Many articles have been written extoling the need for interactivity in the online classroom. Zundel (2006) states that not only should interactivity be effectively integrated, but that it is essential for enhancing the learning in online courses just as interactivity is essential for on-campus learners. Mabrito (2004) contends that success is enhanced in online courses by engaging students as active learners rather than passive participants. Mabrito goes on to state that this engagement should include ample opportunities for students to interact with not only the course content, but also with the instructor and fellow classmates

Subprime Mortgage Lending as it Relates to the 2007-2009 Financial Crisis

The 2007-2009 financial crisis was the worst recession in recent economic history. The financial crisis has been the subject of much academic scrutiny, and many authors have arrived at different conclusions concerning the cause of the crisis and the effects. One of the most interesting real estate investments occurred during the crisis: certain investors and organizations predicted the bursting of the housing bubble and shorted real-estate backed securities, yielding huge profit. This paper will explore the financial crisis as well as the concurrent short selling to gain better understanding of financial markets, economic bubbles and recessions, and real-estate backed securities

What’s Broken? Not the Mold

Changing workforce demographics indicate that flexible work arrangements (FWA) are appreciated and valued by employees, yet employers still resist their support. While not explicit in their rationale, managerial mindsets may hold that deviations from historical ideal worker frameworks detract from performance potential. As this continues, mothers are especially stigmatized for using FWA as it differs from traditional, male hegemonic behaviors. Overlaying the case of a rising executive with a study of historical management theory, it may take until Generation Y is fully entrenched in leadership for a différance to break the mold in FWA acceptance

Use of Social Media in Employment: Should I Fire? Should I Hire?

[Excerpt] It used to be that writing on someone’s wall would get you in trouble, tweets were only for the birds, and poking was rude. The advent of social media has revolutionized the way we communicate as a society, and wireless technologies allow us to do so faster than we ever thought possible. The lines between personal and professional personas have merged into an indistinguishable haze of likes, links, and posts, making transparency an everyday issue

Escalating Commitment: Business Investments and CSR

There are many instances, in all areas of business, in which individuals can become committed to a course of action that begins costing more than it is producing. Because it is often possible for persons who have suffered a setback to recoup their losses through an even greater commitment of resources to the same course of action, a cycle of escalating commitment can be produced (Staw, 1981). This thesis serves to address prior literature and prior studies based on the theory of escalation behavior . We furthered our research by conducting an experiment using university students to test certain said theory with the incorporation of specific variables (i.e. tax-avoidance strategies vs. sustainable investing). As such, this thesis was designed with the purpose of trying to understand why such behavior exists and what factors may have significant influence on the cycle known as escalating commitment

Listening: The Toughest Management Skill

Ranked by personnel managers as the most important problematic communication skill in organizations today, listening is the most used skill that is taught least frequently. Listening skills of managers and employees can be improved; it is the purpose of this article to describe simple, common-sense strategies for this task. Hearing, understanding, interpreting, remembering, and evaluating comprise the five skill areas of the listening model, all of which are analyzed. With sincere efforts made to improve communication skills, managers can be well on their way to building organizations with enhanced quality of worklife, supportive environments, and positive organizational cultures

Middle Managers: Facing the Communication Challenge

Effective communication at all levels is a vital element of a smoothly running organization. Here is a look at how some middle managers overcame their communication problems

Click-Link-In Sync: Communication Patterns of Multinational Virtual Learning Teams

The purpose of this study was: (a) to explore the dynamic nature of communication patterns in multinational VLTs; (b) to understand the role in team outcomes (performance and overall satisfaction with the project); and (c) to generate recommendations for successful integration of VLTs into apparel curricula